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[Jay Ellis] What happens
when an architect
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who's never
designed a skyscraper
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lets her imagination run wild?
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[Sean Linnane] How the heck do
you build 80-some floor plates,
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no two of which are the same?
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[Jay] How do you construct
a 26-mile underground railroad
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through the center
of a bustling city?
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[Chris Dulake] With all of these
excavations underground,
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it's a dangerous place to be.
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[Jay] And how do you create a
man-made wilderness
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in the heart of an urban jungle?
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The client was obsessed.
"Make it as green as possible."
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[Jay] This is the
age of the extraordinary.
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[Amma Agbedor]
It's totally different
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from anything around it.
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It's like a visitor
from another planet.
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[Jay] Where ingenious engineers
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have unleashed
unchecked creativity.
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Now their secrets are revealed
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as we discover the amazing
stories of their construction.
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[Mat Picardal] You look
at this building,
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and your brain
just screams at you,
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"This building
does not make sense!"
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[Jay] To try and understand...
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...how did they build that?
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My favorite fact
about skyscrapers
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is that in strong winds,
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they can sway by up to two feet
in any direction.
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Now, architects allow
for this wherever they work,
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but especially when
the 82-story,
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876-foot skyscraper
they're building is in Chicago,
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otherwise known
as the Windy City.
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So, when you see
this next building,
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all those wonderful shapes
and sculpted ledges,
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they aren't there just
to look pretty.
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[Jay] Chicago, Illinois, is the
birthplace of the skyscraper.
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And having built
them for 140 years,
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they've gotten pretty good at
putting up your standard tower.
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Thin, fat, short, tall,
there's a lot of them here,
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but most are hardly pushing
at the boundaries.
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[Jay] That is, until the start
of the 21st century.
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When the developer
of a new high-rise
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picked an unexpected architect
for the job.
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It was kind of a surprise,
because I had never really
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designed a tall building before.
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[Jay] Her design for over
700 apartments and condos
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with outdoor space
challenged how skyscrapers look,
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how they work,
and how they're lived in.
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This is Aqua Tower.
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So, how did they build it?
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It's 2006.
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In downtown Chicago, near
the shores of Lake Michigan,
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a huge regeneration project
is underway.
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An area near the former docks,
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once crisscrossed by railway
tracks, is being transformed.
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The next new building to go up
will be a mixed-use skyscraper.
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And it's going to be a big one.
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The entitlements
for the overall master plan
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permitted a few
of the building sites
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to be extra large, extra tall.
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Aqua was one of those.
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[Jay] At over 800 feet,
it will join an exclusive club
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of the 20 tallest buildings
in Chicago.
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And the developer
wanted to make an impact.
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[Sean] It needed
to stand out architecturally,
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but it has to be
financially viable.
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And for a developer,
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that often means kind of
boring, rectangular buildings.
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[Jay] To avoid that trap,
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they turn to a local
up-and-coming architect
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whose work
has been winning awards.
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Her style
is almost like an artist.
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It's very sculptural.
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[Jay] The choice comes
with a huge risk.
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[Amma] When you're building
hundreds of feet into the sky,
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you want a safe pair of hands,
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meaning you want to
work with a team
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that's maybe done a project
of this scale before.
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[Jay] That most definitely
isn't the case
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with Jeanne Gang.
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This was my first tall building.
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I really didn't imagine
that I would be
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even doing a tall building
at that point,
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because most of my work
was smaller scale
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and with communities.
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[Jay] That experience of working
with communities, though,
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inspires Gang to make
this skyscraper different.
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There wasn't much outside space
for tall buildings,
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especially in Chicago.
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And there wasn't a way
to easily meet your neighbors.
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They were all kind
of a bit isolating.
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So it was really ripe
for reinvention.
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[Jay] Her design does just that.
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It turned a blank, boring,
rectangular building
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into, really, a sculpture.
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[Jay] What she comes up
with is a blueprint
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for an undulating building
covered in rippling balconies.
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Built in a
densely developed area,
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each is designed
to maximize the views
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and be perfectly placed
for the residents to interact.
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But making them a reality will
be a huge engineering challenge.
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First, they'll need to
find a way to anchor
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the 800-foot tall tower
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in the notoriously
unstable Chicago ground.
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Then they'll have to
design curved balconies
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for the 82 floors, no two alike,
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before building them
to the demanding schedule
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of a commercial development.
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Finally, they must find a way
to stop the wind
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that typically whips around
tall buildings
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from making these precious
outdoor spaces unusable.
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In 2007, work starts
on the foundations.
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With the final tower
measuring 876 feet tall,
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they've got to be substantial.
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The first step is to drill
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massive steel and concrete
foundation columns
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100 feet down into the bedrock.
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Usually, this would be
fairly straightforward.
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But here, there's a big problem.
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Underneath this site is
an abandoned railroad network.
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The ground is riddled
with disused tunnels.
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It's like trying to drill piles
into Swiss cheese.
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If the foundations aren't
rooted in solid ground,
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it puts the whole building
at risk.
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[Jay] The team has no choice.
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They're going to have to
block off every tunnel
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and then find a way to fill them
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to make sure they don't collapse
under the weight of the tower.
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They decide the solution is
something called flowable grout.
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Flowable grout is
an engineer's dream.
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It'll fill
the hole you need filled,
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minimal shrinkage,
it dries fast,
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and you can pump
it for long distances.
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[Jay] They may know how to fix
the problem,
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but it's no easy job.
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It's so dangerous working in
those old, disused tunnels.
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I mean, you have no idea what
condition they're in.
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Having a safe system to get
the people down there,
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putting in bulkheads
to seal off the tunnels,
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and eventually flooding
them with the flowable grout.
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So a lot of coordination
and a lot of effort.
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[Jay] It takes almost 5,500
cubic feet of grout
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to fill the tunnels and
three days for it to solidify.
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Only then can the foundations be
built and then capped off
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with a 12-foot-thick
steel reinforced concrete slab.
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Next, the team turns
its attention to the tower.
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The key to its success
is going to be the balconies.
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As well as
providing outdoor space
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and a sense of connection
to the neighbors,
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Jeanne Gang hopes they will also
give the residents good views.
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Something unexpected
in the boxed-in site.
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The idea that I had was just
to make it
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almost like a topography that
would allow you to, like,
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kind of peek around the corner
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where you normally wouldn't
be able to see.
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[Nehemiah Mabry] It's an
incredibly simple
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and clever idea
to gain better views.
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You essentially stretch
the building out here and there.
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[Jay] To work out the views
from each balcony,
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the team painstakingly uses
a scale model of the area
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and lots of string
to show the sight lines.
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Then they deploy
computer modeling
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to design each
of the curving balconies,
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which extend out
between two to 12 feet.
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Now, they have to work out
how to build them.
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To make the curved balconies
look really elegant,
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they need to be free
from any visible support.
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They need to look like they're
holding up their own weight.
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[Jay] To do that, they turn to a
bit of engineering magic.
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[Corina Kwami] The balconies are
basically cantilevers,
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so sticking out bits of the
building that are made rigid,
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and supported by hidden beams
within the structure.
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Our structural engineer gave us
some parameters,
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and so it was kind of like,
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"Do it within these boundaries
and draw within the lines."
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We could cantilever
more on the corners,
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and less in certain areas.
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[Jay] With the design down,
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the next challenge is
building the 82 floors
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to the relentless demands of a
commercial budget and schedule.
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[Sean] For super tall buildings,
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the faster you build
the building,
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the faster you can get to market
and generate revenue.
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So, a lot of the focus
happens on
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how long it actually takes
to do an individual floor.
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[Jay] The quickest and
most efficient way
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to pour floors
is to have a repeatable design.
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But to create Jeanne Gang's
undulating balconies,
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that won't work, because each
is designed around the view.
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You're looking at creating
a unique and bespoke floor plate
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for each and every floor.
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How the heck do you build
80-some floor plates,
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no two of which are the same?
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[Jay] In Chicago,
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the team building a new
867-foot-tall skyscraper
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is wrestling with the challenge
of building 82 floor plates,
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no two the same.
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It risks blowing a hole
in the schedule and the budget.
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So, the team comes up
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with an ingenious,
but experimental, system.
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They create a giant tray.
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Made in sections,
it's big enough to hold
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the entire floor plate
of each story,
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including the balconies.
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Inside it, they carefully map
out the curving balcony areas,
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creating a special mold
in steel.
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[Randy Bullard] We started
working with different gauges,
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or thicknesses,
of metal forming system
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that would allow us
to bend and curve
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the form systems
for each particular layout.
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[Jay] The tray is then ready
to fill with concrete.
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[Dave Eckman] When
the concrete had cured,
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they were able to pull the
flexible slab edge away,
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which then just became
a straight piece of steel again.
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And then once that
floor is done,
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that steel can be moved
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to do the same thing again
with a different shape.
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[Jay] It's not just the
steel edging that gets reused.
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With this system,
the entire mold is, too.
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[Eamonn] When the concrete had
reached a sufficient strength,
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the whole assembly would
roll out like a kitchen drawer
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and then be picked up by
a tower crane,
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and then flown up to
the next level and repeated.
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[Jay] With this
kitchen drawer technique,
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the building flies up.
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[Sean] They got to a
three-day pour cycle
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for a floor plate
that was somewhere between
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14,000 and 15,000 square feet.
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[Jay] As the tower rises,
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the team has to take on
its last big challenge:
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the wind.
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There's a reason why
high-rise buildings
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don't normally have balconies.
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It can be incredibly windy
up there.
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[Jay] Not only can the wind
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make the balconies
uncomfortable to sit on,
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it could make the entire
building sway dramatically.
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[Sean] High-rise buildings move.
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It's a natural thing
that they move.
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They are designed to move.
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You just don't want them
moving too much.
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[Jay] In a lot
of tall buildings,
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engineers put huge tanks of
water or oil in the top floors,
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which counteract
the effect of the wind.
245
00:12:39,326 --> 00:12:42,762
The problem is these take up
so much space in the building
246
00:12:42,863 --> 00:12:44,664
that could be used
for the apartments.
247
00:12:46,199 --> 00:12:47,368
[Jay] But at Aqua Tower,
248
00:12:47,468 --> 00:12:49,636
the balconies are
so cleverly designed,
249
00:12:50,036 --> 00:12:52,472
there's no need
for a counterweight at the top.
250
00:12:54,408 --> 00:12:56,176
[Corina] By chopping up the
surface of the building,
251
00:12:56,309 --> 00:12:57,878
the balconies break up the wind,
252
00:12:57,978 --> 00:13:00,648
dramatically reducing
the impact on the tower.
253
00:13:01,782 --> 00:13:04,351
[Jeanne] We've tested a model
in the wind tunnel tests,
254
00:13:04,452 --> 00:13:08,923
and yes, indeed, it actually
does disrupt this wind flow
255
00:13:09,056 --> 00:13:12,593
and helps with ameliorating
the pressure on the building,
256
00:13:12,726 --> 00:13:14,261
but also making it more
comfortable.
257
00:13:20,768 --> 00:13:21,968
[Jay] In 2009,
258
00:13:22,836 --> 00:13:25,706
two years after breaking ground
and three years sooner
259
00:13:25,806 --> 00:13:27,708
than would be typical
for a building this size,
260
00:13:28,342 --> 00:13:31,478
Aqua Tower welcomes
its first residents.
261
00:13:32,079 --> 00:13:33,647
[Priscilla Mims]
It is just exquisite.
262
00:13:34,080 --> 00:13:36,550
There's really no other building
in the city
263
00:13:36,683 --> 00:13:38,986
that looks anything like it.
264
00:13:39,653 --> 00:13:41,688
[Jay] It's a high-rise
that offers its residents
265
00:13:41,755 --> 00:13:45,659
an indoor-outdoor living
experience like no other.
266
00:13:46,293 --> 00:13:48,595
[John Fitterer] We live
on the 68th floor.
267
00:13:48,695 --> 00:13:51,431
I can go outside.
I can get fresh air.
268
00:13:51,531 --> 00:13:53,000
We have a summer party
out there.
269
00:13:53,100 --> 00:13:56,903
And it is very much like
a community living at Aqua.
270
00:13:58,906 --> 00:14:01,141
[Priscilla] It's a
neighborhood within itself.
271
00:14:01,241 --> 00:14:03,710
And it's amazing
that just creating
272
00:14:03,811 --> 00:14:05,812
that in-and-out pattern
of the balconies
273
00:14:05,912 --> 00:14:08,415
can do that to a
tall building like this.
274
00:14:08,949 --> 00:14:10,951
[Jay] In the birthplace
of the skyscraper,
275
00:14:11,051 --> 00:14:14,187
Aqua Tower has truly
earned its place.
276
00:14:14,287 --> 00:14:18,191
Aqua has really made its mark
on the Chicago skyline.
277
00:14:18,291 --> 00:14:19,893
Even if you don't live there,
278
00:14:19,994 --> 00:14:22,262
you come upon it, and it's
something special to discover.
279
00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:33,540
[music]
280
00:14:36,343 --> 00:14:37,911
For busy cities the world over,
281
00:14:37,978 --> 00:14:41,281
good, fast, reliable
public transportation is vital.
282
00:14:41,782 --> 00:14:44,985
Over in London, a huge project
to build a new subway line
283
00:14:45,119 --> 00:14:46,586
beneath the streets
of England's capital
284
00:14:46,687 --> 00:14:49,156
was recently completed
to great acclaim.
285
00:14:49,289 --> 00:14:52,559
Although, the first train
did arrive a little late.
286
00:14:52,659 --> 00:14:54,995
A full 80 years, in fact,
287
00:14:55,095 --> 00:14:56,663
after the project
was first proposed.
288
00:14:56,763 --> 00:14:59,733
But, boy, was it worth the wait.
289
00:15:02,236 --> 00:15:04,371
[Jay] Welcome to the
Elizabeth Line.
290
00:15:05,205 --> 00:15:07,374
A 73-mile-long railroad
291
00:15:07,508 --> 00:15:10,911
complete with 10 brand-new
state-of-the-art stations.
292
00:15:12,112 --> 00:15:15,315
To build it, the team
had to dig 26 miles worth
293
00:15:15,415 --> 00:15:16,784
of underground tunnels.
294
00:15:17,284 --> 00:15:19,052
The scale of the engineering
is breathtaking.
295
00:15:19,186 --> 00:15:21,521
[Jay] The challenges and risks
296
00:15:21,621 --> 00:15:23,323
were like nothing
encountered before.
297
00:15:23,791 --> 00:15:26,727
We're tunneling under the most
expensive property in Europe.
298
00:15:27,361 --> 00:15:30,063
[Jay] At stake was
a city-wide subway
299
00:15:30,163 --> 00:15:32,465
designed to last 120 years.
300
00:15:32,566 --> 00:15:34,235
[Howard Smith]
The Elizabeth Line is
301
00:15:34,335 --> 00:15:35,669
a once-in-a-generation railway,
302
00:15:35,770 --> 00:15:38,872
a legacy that will just grow and
grow over the decades to come.
303
00:15:41,642 --> 00:15:43,643
[Jay] The result
provides passengers
304
00:15:43,743 --> 00:15:47,014
with a smooth, spacious,
and very speedy journey
305
00:15:47,114 --> 00:15:50,050
across the capital
of the United Kingdom.
306
00:15:50,951 --> 00:15:53,454
The Elizabeth Line
is one of the 21st century's
307
00:15:53,554 --> 00:15:55,388
greatest
infrastructure projects.
308
00:15:56,456 --> 00:15:57,891
[Jay] So how did they build it?
309
00:16:06,533 --> 00:16:08,769
[Jay] Britain is the birthplace
of the railroad.
310
00:16:09,536 --> 00:16:12,473
But the way the system
evolved in its early days
311
00:16:12,573 --> 00:16:16,209
left the capital, London,
with an enduring problem.
312
00:16:17,144 --> 00:16:20,881
In the 1840s, so many people
wanted to build railways
313
00:16:20,981 --> 00:16:23,784
in London, that
there were plans to cover
314
00:16:23,884 --> 00:16:26,954
almost the whole of
Central London in railways.
315
00:16:27,087 --> 00:16:29,557
So a royal commission said,
316
00:16:30,291 --> 00:16:33,360
"Let's keep railways
to the edge of the city."
317
00:16:35,262 --> 00:16:38,331
[Jay] With all the trains ending
at the outskirts of the city,
318
00:16:39,233 --> 00:16:40,801
passengers were forced to take
319
00:16:40,901 --> 00:16:43,303
alternative transportation
into the center.
320
00:16:44,204 --> 00:16:46,773
Even when the subway arrived
a few decades later,
321
00:16:47,040 --> 00:16:48,642
it didn't resolve the issue.
322
00:16:50,845 --> 00:16:54,815
Everybody was getting off big
trains, going down escalators,
323
00:16:54,915 --> 00:16:55,983
and getting onto small trains
324
00:16:56,116 --> 00:16:57,984
to go around the center
of the city.
325
00:16:59,787 --> 00:17:03,123
[Jay] In the 1940s, when
the city was looking to rebuild
326
00:17:03,223 --> 00:17:04,291
after World War II,
327
00:17:04,958 --> 00:17:08,228
a plan was devised
for a new cross-London railroad.
328
00:17:09,530 --> 00:17:12,232
It would take passengers
through the heart of the city
329
00:17:12,332 --> 00:17:14,801
on underground tracks
without changing trains.
330
00:17:15,869 --> 00:17:18,471
But with so many other
infrastructure projects
331
00:17:18,572 --> 00:17:22,008
needed in the aftermath of
the war, it took a back seat.
332
00:17:23,677 --> 00:17:25,379
Fast forward six decades,
333
00:17:25,512 --> 00:17:28,515
and a new version of the idea
is on the table.
334
00:17:29,683 --> 00:17:31,351
[Howard] From 2004 onwards,
335
00:17:31,485 --> 00:17:34,154
we got to planning what's become
the Elizabeth Line.
336
00:17:34,254 --> 00:17:36,990
So, it's an old idea
of taking big trains
337
00:17:37,090 --> 00:17:39,593
and allowing people
to travel straight through,
338
00:17:39,693 --> 00:17:41,428
from outside
into the middle of town,
339
00:17:41,528 --> 00:17:45,732
and one that's become a reality
for London in the last 20 years.
340
00:17:47,434 --> 00:17:49,570
[Jay] The daring plan
is to carve out
341
00:17:49,670 --> 00:17:51,839
a 73-mile continuous route
342
00:17:51,939 --> 00:17:54,708
that will start
40 miles west of the city,
343
00:17:55,542 --> 00:17:57,277
passing through
Heathrow Airport,
344
00:17:57,377 --> 00:17:58,879
through the city center,
345
00:17:58,979 --> 00:18:01,749
and then to the UK's financial
center at Canary Wharf,
346
00:18:02,216 --> 00:18:04,684
before terminating
20 miles further east.
347
00:18:06,353 --> 00:18:10,056
The main challenge will involve
sinking a 26-mile network
348
00:18:10,156 --> 00:18:12,993
of supersized tunnels
deep beneath the city.
349
00:18:15,329 --> 00:18:16,897
Eight giant tunneling machines
350
00:18:16,997 --> 00:18:19,133
will have to excavate
interconnecting routes,
351
00:18:19,266 --> 00:18:21,702
starting from the west
and the east of London,
352
00:18:21,802 --> 00:18:23,870
before meeting in the middle.
353
00:18:27,708 --> 00:18:29,509
The team will also
have to design
354
00:18:29,609 --> 00:18:31,145
ten giant new stations
355
00:18:31,245 --> 00:18:34,648
that will serve both the
new and existing subway lines,
356
00:18:35,916 --> 00:18:37,451
Integrating the Elizabeth Line
357
00:18:37,551 --> 00:18:39,486
with the existing
transportation network.
358
00:18:46,426 --> 00:18:51,565
In May 2009, work starts on
the first of ten new stations.
359
00:18:52,265 --> 00:18:54,100
Canary Wharf in East London,
360
00:18:56,536 --> 00:19:01,341
where a huge $650 million US
underground station
361
00:19:01,474 --> 00:19:03,843
must be built in time
for the eastern tunnel
362
00:19:03,977 --> 00:19:05,379
to pass through it,
363
00:19:05,479 --> 00:19:08,815
before meeting the western
tunnel in Central London.
364
00:19:08,915 --> 00:19:10,484
[David Johnson] The real
challenge for Canary Wharf
365
00:19:10,584 --> 00:19:12,986
was if there were any problems
with the construction works,
366
00:19:13,620 --> 00:19:16,356
we would then delay
all of the tunneling works,
367
00:19:16,489 --> 00:19:17,657
and that would have a knock
368
00:19:17,757 --> 00:19:21,661
on to the whole completion
of the project.
369
00:19:22,863 --> 00:19:24,265
[Jay] The challenge
for engineers
370
00:19:24,365 --> 00:19:27,634
is that Canary Wharf
sits on the River Thames,
371
00:19:28,168 --> 00:19:29,670
and the proposed station will be
372
00:19:29,803 --> 00:19:34,341
in one of London's historic
docks, 90 feet underwater.
373
00:19:34,941 --> 00:19:36,977
[David] All of the works
were within the water
374
00:19:37,077 --> 00:19:38,678
of the West India docks.
375
00:19:39,580 --> 00:19:41,781
This gave us a lot
of challenges in terms of
376
00:19:41,882 --> 00:19:46,152
how we could dewater the docks
to construct the station.
377
00:19:48,122 --> 00:19:50,190
[Jay] To create a dry
construction site
378
00:19:50,290 --> 00:19:51,892
in the middle of a dock
calls for
379
00:19:51,992 --> 00:19:55,896
a clever piece of engineering
known as a cofferdam.
380
00:19:58,065 --> 00:20:00,167
Similar to the lock on a canal,
381
00:20:00,267 --> 00:20:02,969
it works by damming water
on one side
382
00:20:03,069 --> 00:20:05,839
so the other side
can be drained dry.
383
00:20:06,473 --> 00:20:08,475
It's tricky enough to achieve
on any site,
384
00:20:08,575 --> 00:20:11,344
but here the challenge
is even greater.
385
00:20:12,546 --> 00:20:14,314
[David] The traditional
cofferdam construction
386
00:20:14,414 --> 00:20:16,116
would use sheet piles,
387
00:20:16,217 --> 00:20:19,853
which would either be vibrated
or driven into the ground.
388
00:20:20,320 --> 00:20:22,455
This would obviously
create lots of noise
389
00:20:22,556 --> 00:20:24,491
and lots of vibration
from the works.
390
00:20:25,659 --> 00:20:29,296
[Jay] But Canary Wharf is home
to the UK's financial district,
391
00:20:30,164 --> 00:20:31,731
and the headquarters
392
00:20:31,831 --> 00:20:35,302
of some of the world's
largest banks, and insurers.
393
00:20:36,303 --> 00:20:39,473
We had 100,000 people
working around the site,
394
00:20:40,074 --> 00:20:43,944
and also hotels and residents
in close proximity,
395
00:20:44,444 --> 00:20:47,547
and we couldn't spend
three or four months hammering
396
00:20:47,647 --> 00:20:50,116
or vibrating sheet piles
into the ground.
397
00:20:52,386 --> 00:20:53,353
[Jay]
They need to find a way
398
00:20:53,453 --> 00:20:55,922
to build
the cofferdam silently.
399
00:20:56,890 --> 00:20:58,392
[David] We actually had
two machines
400
00:20:58,492 --> 00:21:00,327
specifically made
for the project
401
00:21:00,428 --> 00:21:01,561
that were shipped over
from Japan,
402
00:21:01,662 --> 00:21:03,330
where they'd already
developed a system
403
00:21:03,430 --> 00:21:05,298
for pressing in
large diameter tubes
404
00:21:05,432 --> 00:21:08,168
into similar ground conditions.
405
00:21:10,604 --> 00:21:12,673
[Jay] It's the first time
this type of engineering
406
00:21:12,773 --> 00:21:14,307
has been used in the UK.
407
00:21:15,142 --> 00:21:16,544
Instead of hammering,
408
00:21:16,644 --> 00:21:18,746
the Japanese method silently
presses and pulls
409
00:21:18,846 --> 00:21:22,415
the sheet piles into place,
using hydraulics.
410
00:21:26,220 --> 00:21:28,655
One by one,
the interlocking sheet piles,
411
00:21:28,755 --> 00:21:32,126
each 61 feet high
and 4 feet wide,
412
00:21:32,226 --> 00:21:34,094
are pressed into the dock bed.
413
00:21:34,928 --> 00:21:37,965
[David] We targeted to install
three piles per day,
414
00:21:38,065 --> 00:21:40,401
and we did
that over three months,
415
00:21:40,501 --> 00:21:43,237
and completed 310 piles,
416
00:21:43,337 --> 00:21:46,439
installed within
about a four month period.
417
00:21:47,541 --> 00:21:50,377
[Jay] The last step is
to pump the cofferdam dry.
418
00:21:51,711 --> 00:21:55,616
Over three weeks, we pumped out
60 Olympic-sized swimming pools
419
00:21:55,749 --> 00:21:58,519
in terms of volume of water
from the cofferdam
420
00:21:58,619 --> 00:22:00,587
to create our dry working site.
421
00:22:01,455 --> 00:22:04,091
[Jay] Now, the giant
new underground station
422
00:22:04,191 --> 00:22:05,626
can begin to take shape.
423
00:22:05,726 --> 00:22:07,194
[Howard]
A great big concrete box
424
00:22:07,327 --> 00:22:10,030
constructed 260 meters long.
425
00:22:10,931 --> 00:22:13,834
You could tip some of the
really big buildings in London,
426
00:22:13,934 --> 00:22:15,802
put them on their side,
and they'd fit quite neatly
427
00:22:15,902 --> 00:22:17,837
into something like
Canary Wharf Station.
428
00:22:19,406 --> 00:22:21,008
[Jay] With the
station work progressing,
429
00:22:21,141 --> 00:22:23,444
the team can move on
to their next challenge,
430
00:22:23,544 --> 00:22:25,412
and it's a big one.
431
00:22:26,413 --> 00:22:28,882
[Jay] To create the
26-mile underground section
432
00:22:28,982 --> 00:22:31,518
of the route,
they need to start digging.
433
00:22:33,119 --> 00:22:35,021
[Corina] The machines you need
for a job like this
434
00:22:35,155 --> 00:22:37,024
are not available at Home Depot.
435
00:22:37,791 --> 00:22:40,327
And there are only a handful
of companies that actually
436
00:22:40,427 --> 00:22:44,364
manufacture the equipment
that is required to do this job.
437
00:22:45,131 --> 00:22:47,935
[Jay] The equipment in question
is a tunnel boring machine,
438
00:22:48,035 --> 00:22:51,806
or TBM, worth
$15 million US apiece.
439
00:22:52,173 --> 00:22:53,807
The team orders
eight from Germany,
440
00:22:53,908 --> 00:22:55,809
but they're too big
to ship whole,
441
00:22:55,942 --> 00:23:00,214
so they're delivered in pieces
and rebuilt on site.
442
00:23:00,548 --> 00:23:01,982
It's no easy task.
443
00:23:02,816 --> 00:23:04,919
[Corina] Building a TBM
is like building a bridge,
444
00:23:05,052 --> 00:23:06,853
or a major piece
of infrastructure.
445
00:23:06,953 --> 00:23:10,524
You have to build foundations
where you're making the TBM.
446
00:23:10,624 --> 00:23:12,158
It's that heavy.
447
00:23:14,495 --> 00:23:18,064
[Jay] Finally, in May 2012,
tunneling begins.
448
00:23:18,565 --> 00:23:19,800
[Chris Dulake]
It was phenomenal.
449
00:23:19,900 --> 00:23:21,801
It was an exciting time
for anybody involved.
450
00:23:24,104 --> 00:23:26,006
[Jay] They operate like
huge mechanical worms,
451
00:23:26,107 --> 00:23:28,208
chewing at the face
of the tunnel,
452
00:23:28,275 --> 00:23:31,311
and pulling earth onto an
internal screw conveyor.
453
00:23:33,013 --> 00:23:36,983
That earth is then expelled
from the rear of the machine.
454
00:23:37,951 --> 00:23:39,453
Designed to work 24-7,
455
00:23:39,553 --> 00:23:42,890
they can bore 330 feet
of tunnel per week,
456
00:23:42,990 --> 00:23:46,126
operated by a crew of 12 inside.
457
00:23:47,227 --> 00:23:49,095
If everything goes to plan.
458
00:23:50,030 --> 00:23:53,133
But that's a big if when you're
tunneling under the center
459
00:23:53,267 --> 00:23:55,535
of one
of Europe's biggest cities.
460
00:23:57,037 --> 00:23:58,939
The industry
has a bad track record
461
00:23:59,039 --> 00:24:01,174
in collapses in urban centers.
462
00:24:01,841 --> 00:24:03,143
[Mat Picardal] The greatest
risk you face when
463
00:24:03,276 --> 00:24:04,745
you're digging underground
is support.
464
00:24:05,346 --> 00:24:07,514
How do you make sure
the earth around you holds up
465
00:24:07,614 --> 00:24:08,782
when you're burrowing down?
466
00:24:09,483 --> 00:24:11,451
[Jay] If the tunnels
collapse underground,
467
00:24:11,552 --> 00:24:13,920
then the buildings above
could sink.
468
00:24:14,387 --> 00:24:17,023
The team needs
to tread extremely carefully.
469
00:24:18,092 --> 00:24:20,160
[Chris] With all of these
excavations underground,
470
00:24:20,260 --> 00:24:23,497
as soon as you lose control,
it's a dangerous place to be.
471
00:24:23,597 --> 00:24:30,503
[music]
472
00:24:35,842 --> 00:24:39,045
[Jay] In London, engineers
building a new rail line
473
00:24:39,145 --> 00:24:42,215
with ten new stations
and 26 miles of track
474
00:24:42,349 --> 00:24:43,884
running deep beneath the city
475
00:24:43,984 --> 00:24:46,854
need to make sure their enormous
tunnel boring machines
476
00:24:46,954 --> 00:24:50,857
won't destabilize buildings
above as they dig.
477
00:24:52,059 --> 00:24:53,727
Part of the solution comes from
478
00:24:53,860 --> 00:24:56,463
the machine's
ingenious in-built technology.
479
00:24:58,032 --> 00:24:59,233
[Chris] As they drive forward,
480
00:24:59,333 --> 00:25:02,036
you're able build a precast
concrete lining
481
00:25:02,136 --> 00:25:05,072
behind the machine
from a series of rams
482
00:25:05,172 --> 00:25:06,673
that sit around the
outside of the machine
483
00:25:06,774 --> 00:25:08,508
that enable you to
lock that lining in
484
00:25:08,608 --> 00:25:09,943
and then drive forward.
485
00:25:11,177 --> 00:25:13,747
[Jay] Shoring up the tunnel
as they go isn't enough.
486
00:25:14,247 --> 00:25:16,083
The drivers also
need to maintain
487
00:25:16,183 --> 00:25:19,819
steady and constant pressure
at the machine's cutting edge.
488
00:25:20,888 --> 00:25:23,090
If we didn't control
that amount of movement
489
00:25:23,190 --> 00:25:24,458
and that face pressure,
490
00:25:24,558 --> 00:25:26,994
we could induce quite a bit
of ground movement
491
00:25:27,094 --> 00:25:29,296
that would have affected
the buildings above us.
492
00:25:30,564 --> 00:25:32,633
[Jay] The slightest
movement underground
493
00:25:32,767 --> 00:25:35,268
can have huge
consequences above.
494
00:25:38,272 --> 00:25:39,606
[Jay] As the
Western Tunnel reaches
495
00:25:39,740 --> 00:25:41,609
London's theater
and shopping district,
496
00:25:42,610 --> 00:25:45,079
engineers monitor the impact
of micro-movements
497
00:25:45,212 --> 00:25:48,548
on some of Europe's
most expensive real estate.
498
00:25:50,017 --> 00:25:51,886
[Chris] And there were
some significant buildings
499
00:25:51,986 --> 00:25:53,354
that we were tunneling under.
500
00:25:54,255 --> 00:25:57,224
So for every single structure
that fell within
501
00:25:57,324 --> 00:26:01,194
the one-millimeter contour of
movement at surface,
502
00:26:01,929 --> 00:26:03,697
we predicted the level of damage
503
00:26:03,797 --> 00:26:05,365
to the building
that would occur,
504
00:26:05,865 --> 00:26:08,402
and if it was
an unacceptable level of damage,
505
00:26:08,836 --> 00:26:12,672
we applied a process
called compensation grouting.
506
00:26:14,841 --> 00:26:17,177
[Jay] It works by injecting
high-pressure grout
507
00:26:17,277 --> 00:26:21,181
underneath the building,
which expands, lifting it up.
508
00:26:22,917 --> 00:26:24,518
[Chris] It sounds like
a complex process,
509
00:26:24,652 --> 00:26:26,987
but as the buildings
above settle,
510
00:26:27,454 --> 00:26:30,523
as you tunnel underneath,
you compensate for that movement
511
00:26:30,657 --> 00:26:32,626
by pushing them back up.
512
00:26:33,527 --> 00:26:35,129
We installed about 60 kilometers
513
00:26:35,195 --> 00:26:37,998
of pipework to deal
with those movements.
514
00:26:38,265 --> 00:26:40,166
And yeah, they worked very well.
515
00:26:41,368 --> 00:26:43,404
[Jay] While the network
of tunnels takes shape,
516
00:26:43,504 --> 00:26:46,173
teams are hard at work
across London
517
00:26:46,273 --> 00:26:48,375
completing the ten new stations.
518
00:26:50,143 --> 00:26:52,413
It means even more digging,
519
00:26:52,746 --> 00:26:55,683
and creates one heck
of a pile of dirt.
520
00:26:56,250 --> 00:26:58,084
[Chris] All of those underground
constructions in London
521
00:26:58,151 --> 00:27:01,922
totaled about 6 million
cubic meters of material.
522
00:27:02,022 --> 00:27:04,591
And so the biggest challenge was
getting that out of London
523
00:27:04,724 --> 00:27:07,127
without impacting on the public.
524
00:27:08,395 --> 00:27:10,097
[Jay] Removing it by truck
will add
525
00:27:10,230 --> 00:27:12,666
half a million road journeys
526
00:27:12,766 --> 00:27:14,868
to an already congested capital.
527
00:27:15,335 --> 00:27:18,171
For moving that sort
of stuff any distance,
528
00:27:18,271 --> 00:27:21,208
you want to put it on rail
or you want to put it on water.
529
00:27:23,176 --> 00:27:25,812
[Jay] The answer runs through
the heart of London,
530
00:27:26,213 --> 00:27:27,815
the River Thames.
531
00:27:28,182 --> 00:27:30,083
[Howard] Night and day,
conveyors running,
532
00:27:30,217 --> 00:27:34,387
bringing spoil out into barges
and taken down the Thames.
533
00:27:35,455 --> 00:27:38,692
[Jay] Even better, all that
earth doesn't go to waste.
534
00:27:39,259 --> 00:27:42,596
25 miles along the estuary,
it's used to create
535
00:27:42,696 --> 00:27:46,000
an entirely new wetland
and bird sanctuary.
536
00:27:46,434 --> 00:27:50,705
We had over 4 million meters
cubed of material placed there.
537
00:27:51,338 --> 00:27:54,375
And that enabled us to then
break the seawalls down,
538
00:27:54,508 --> 00:27:57,878
so that we allowed the tide to
come back in over those areas,
539
00:27:57,978 --> 00:28:00,113
then reinstated a wetland.
540
00:28:04,585 --> 00:28:08,122
[Jay] In 2022,
the Elizabeth Line opens.
541
00:28:09,123 --> 00:28:12,826
With over 130 million journeys
made on it each year,
542
00:28:13,860 --> 00:28:17,464
it has expanded London's
rail capacity by 10%.
543
00:28:19,700 --> 00:28:21,001
[Julian Robinson]
To leave a great piece
544
00:28:21,101 --> 00:28:22,469
of infrastructure
for London, fantastic.
545
00:28:22,569 --> 00:28:24,004
What do you ask for in a career?
546
00:28:25,172 --> 00:28:26,440
[Jay] In the ten new stations,
547
00:28:26,573 --> 00:28:28,776
smooth, sculpted
concrete tunnels
548
00:28:28,876 --> 00:28:30,944
encourage people
to flow through them,
549
00:28:31,444 --> 00:28:34,315
While clever lighting maximizes
the sense of space.
550
00:28:34,982 --> 00:28:36,917
Every detail has been
thought through,
551
00:28:37,017 --> 00:28:38,552
right down to how they sound.
552
00:28:39,353 --> 00:28:40,754
[Neil McClements] We
incorporated thousands
553
00:28:40,855 --> 00:28:43,090
of acoustic perforations into
the crown of the tunnels.
554
00:28:43,190 --> 00:28:45,893
And this creates a really soft
acoustic environment
555
00:28:45,993 --> 00:28:49,096
for passengers, a calm,
almost Zen-like atmosphere
556
00:28:49,196 --> 00:28:51,765
away from the hustle and bustle
of the city above.
557
00:28:51,865 --> 00:28:55,102
[Jay] The line is predicted
to add $55 billion
558
00:28:55,202 --> 00:28:56,603
to the British economy.
559
00:28:57,070 --> 00:28:58,372
And it's connected dozens
560
00:28:58,472 --> 00:29:01,509
of previously
underserved communities.
561
00:29:02,142 --> 00:29:05,946
People are able to look
for new houses or for new jobs
562
00:29:06,047 --> 00:29:07,348
that they couldn't have got
to before.
563
00:29:07,848 --> 00:29:09,516
You know, that's a boost
to the city itself.
564
00:29:10,017 --> 00:29:11,886
The Elizabeth Line?
565
00:29:12,019 --> 00:29:13,720
Game changer.
Absolute game changer.
566
00:29:17,958 --> 00:29:25,265
[music]
567
00:29:27,968 --> 00:29:30,003
Azabudai Hills
might not sound like
568
00:29:30,136 --> 00:29:31,672
a bustling
neighborhood development
569
00:29:31,772 --> 00:29:34,374
in the center of
the Japanese capital of Tokyo,
570
00:29:34,474 --> 00:29:37,377
but this earthquake-proof wonder
is way more green
571
00:29:37,511 --> 00:29:39,613
than its urban location
might suggest.
572
00:29:40,013 --> 00:29:42,149
Not only does this
city within a city
573
00:29:42,249 --> 00:29:44,518
have a living roof from which
thousands of plants
574
00:29:44,618 --> 00:29:46,119
grow down to ground level,
575
00:29:46,220 --> 00:29:49,356
it also processes sewage,
and then uses it
576
00:29:49,457 --> 00:29:52,325
to control the indoor climate.
Genius.
577
00:29:54,961 --> 00:29:56,963
At 37 million people,
578
00:29:57,064 --> 00:30:01,167
Tokyo has the highest population
of any city in the world.
579
00:30:02,570 --> 00:30:05,171
And they all need somewhere
to live and work.
580
00:30:06,607 --> 00:30:09,509
Tokyo has one of the lowest
areas of natural greenery
581
00:30:09,609 --> 00:30:12,178
per person for a large city
in the world.
582
00:30:12,979 --> 00:30:14,881
[Jay] But in the late 1980s,
583
00:30:15,015 --> 00:30:17,184
a developer set out
to change that
584
00:30:17,284 --> 00:30:20,020
with a groundbreaking piece
of urban planning.
585
00:30:23,924 --> 00:30:26,560
Creating a complex of
homes, offices,
586
00:30:26,694 --> 00:30:29,062
a hotel, shops, and restaurant,
587
00:30:29,829 --> 00:30:34,334
including the tallest skyscraper
Japan has ever seen.
588
00:30:35,503 --> 00:30:38,672
[speaking Japanese]
589
00:30:39,773 --> 00:30:42,543
[Jay] And surrounded by
six acres of green space
590
00:30:42,643 --> 00:30:43,977
in the heart of the city.
591
00:30:44,811 --> 00:30:48,448
The client was obsessed,
"Make it as green as possible."
592
00:30:49,649 --> 00:30:53,153
[Jay] Realizing this vision
took almost 35 years.
593
00:30:54,388 --> 00:30:58,024
It meant negotiating
with over 300 landowners.
594
00:30:59,293 --> 00:31:02,196
The team had to ensure it would
survive in one of the most
595
00:31:02,296 --> 00:31:04,431
earthquake-prone cities
in the world.
596
00:31:05,332 --> 00:31:08,069
Building in a zone like this is,
everything has to be bigger.
597
00:31:08,169 --> 00:31:10,203
Everything is
much more tightly braced.
598
00:31:12,305 --> 00:31:15,809
[Jay] All in a bid to change
the face of Tokyo forever.
599
00:31:18,612 --> 00:31:21,114
This is Azabudai Hills.
600
00:31:22,216 --> 00:31:24,417
So, how did they build it?
601
00:31:27,955 --> 00:31:31,191
Half of Tokyo was destroyed
by Allied bombing
602
00:31:31,291 --> 00:31:32,659
in the Second World War.
603
00:31:36,464 --> 00:31:40,400
In the postwar years, the
city saw a huge redevelopment,
604
00:31:40,501 --> 00:31:44,304
but money was concentrated
on buildings, not green spaces.
605
00:31:45,372 --> 00:31:46,941
Toward the end
of the millennium,
606
00:31:47,041 --> 00:31:50,110
people were realizing how
detrimental this could be.
607
00:31:51,011 --> 00:31:53,346
[Corina] Studies have shown
that green areas in cities
608
00:31:53,413 --> 00:31:56,650
not only mitigate climate change
and improve air quality,
609
00:31:56,750 --> 00:31:58,785
but also bring
communities together
610
00:31:58,885 --> 00:32:01,187
and contribute
to the local economy.
611
00:32:04,824 --> 00:32:08,228
[Jay] In the late 1980s,
developers Mori Building
612
00:32:08,328 --> 00:32:12,098
decided to transform a 20-acre
area of downtown Tokyo.
613
00:32:13,634 --> 00:32:15,736
Their vision is to create
a green oasis
614
00:32:15,836 --> 00:32:19,105
where people can
live, work, and play.
615
00:32:20,141 --> 00:32:25,579
[speaking Japanese]
616
00:32:35,322 --> 00:32:37,758
[Jay] To do this,
they will first need to get
617
00:32:37,858 --> 00:32:40,361
more than 300 individual
property owners
618
00:32:40,461 --> 00:32:43,063
to agree to their land
being redeveloped.
619
00:32:44,564 --> 00:32:46,199
Then, the plan is to put
620
00:32:46,299 --> 00:32:50,271
most of the living, working, and
retail space into three towers,
621
00:32:50,371 --> 00:32:53,306
one of which will be
Japan's tallest building,
622
00:32:54,207 --> 00:32:57,677
leaving room to create
six acres of green space
623
00:32:57,811 --> 00:32:59,179
across the complex.
624
00:33:00,714 --> 00:33:03,150
We're building seven
or eight million square feet,
625
00:33:03,250 --> 00:33:05,152
but it's all vertical.
626
00:33:05,752 --> 00:33:08,823
It preserves the land for
human use, for green space.
627
00:33:08,889 --> 00:33:11,325
It's a much, much better way
to build a city.
628
00:33:11,859 --> 00:33:13,593
[Jay] The team knows
this will be a model
629
00:33:13,693 --> 00:33:14,895
for other cities to follow.
630
00:33:15,462 --> 00:33:18,832
So, it will need
a revolutionary design.
631
00:33:22,636 --> 00:33:24,571
To start,
they will need to demolish
632
00:33:24,705 --> 00:33:26,874
the existing buildings
on the site.
633
00:33:27,374 --> 00:33:29,676
Then, create
separate foundations
634
00:33:29,776 --> 00:33:31,078
for the three towers,
635
00:33:31,412 --> 00:33:34,214
individually suited
to their different needs.
636
00:33:34,915 --> 00:33:37,217
After that, they will need to
figure out how to
637
00:33:37,351 --> 00:33:40,488
make sure the tallest building
in Japan will stand strong
638
00:33:40,588 --> 00:33:43,456
in the most earthquake-prone
city in the world.
639
00:33:45,325 --> 00:33:49,229
Finally, they'll have to fit in
shops, bars, and restaurants
640
00:33:49,329 --> 00:33:52,199
at ground level, while also
creating the lush green spaces
641
00:33:52,299 --> 00:33:53,900
that the client wants.
642
00:33:58,739 --> 00:34:00,740
The piece of land chosen
for the project
643
00:34:00,840 --> 00:34:04,811
is in the densely populated
Minato area of Tokyo.
644
00:34:05,479 --> 00:34:07,113
The first challenge
is persuading
645
00:34:07,247 --> 00:34:09,550
more than
300 individual landowners
646
00:34:09,650 --> 00:34:11,952
to agree to the redevelopment.
647
00:34:13,253 --> 00:34:14,855
It's like taking on a project
648
00:34:14,955 --> 00:34:17,757
the scale of the
Rockefeller Center in Manhattan,
649
00:34:17,858 --> 00:34:21,895
and getting 300 individuals to
cooperate in making it happen.
650
00:34:22,329 --> 00:34:24,131
[Jay] No easy task.
651
00:34:24,531 --> 00:34:26,600
But in exchange,
they are offered units
652
00:34:26,700 --> 00:34:28,301
in the completed development.
653
00:34:28,402 --> 00:34:33,773
[speaking Japanese]
654
00:34:40,447 --> 00:34:43,116
[Jay] Not surprisingly,
it's a slow process.
655
00:34:44,051 --> 00:34:47,421
In Japanese culture, building
consensus is really important.
656
00:34:47,521 --> 00:34:50,491
They even have a special word
for it called nemawashi.
657
00:34:50,858 --> 00:34:53,527
And things take
as long as they need to.
658
00:34:54,328 --> 00:34:55,563
[Jay] No one could have
predicted, though,
659
00:34:55,663 --> 00:34:59,767
that it would take
more than three decades.
660
00:34:59,833 --> 00:35:07,274
[music]
661
00:35:11,111 --> 00:35:12,379
[Jay] In Tokyo, Japan,
662
00:35:13,246 --> 00:35:17,251
it's taken over 30 years to win
over more than 300 landowners
663
00:35:17,351 --> 00:35:20,754
and navigate the complex
Japanese planning system.
664
00:35:21,455 --> 00:35:23,423
But finally, in 2019,
665
00:35:23,523 --> 00:35:26,426
work begins on a bold new
mixed-use development,
666
00:35:26,993 --> 00:35:30,197
incorporating not one,
but three skyscrapers
667
00:35:30,297 --> 00:35:32,766
surrounded by acres of greenery.
668
00:35:33,500 --> 00:35:36,103
Building this anywhere
would be a challenge.
669
00:35:36,570 --> 00:35:39,072
But here,
it's especially difficult.
670
00:35:39,906 --> 00:35:42,776
Tokyo is a hugely active
earthquake zone.
671
00:35:42,877 --> 00:35:45,379
So, authorities prefer
to keep buildings
672
00:35:45,479 --> 00:35:49,349
shorter and wider to make
them earthquake resistant.
673
00:35:51,819 --> 00:35:54,521
Here though,
architects Nihon Seiki
674
00:35:54,621 --> 00:35:56,857
and U.S. firm
Pelli Clark and Partners
675
00:35:56,957 --> 00:35:59,960
must work together
to design three huge towers,
676
00:36:00,093 --> 00:36:02,796
including the tallest
Japan has ever seen.
677
00:36:05,598 --> 00:36:08,468
Earthquake-proofing them
starts from the foundations.
678
00:36:10,804 --> 00:36:13,040
All of the towers are sitting on
679
00:36:13,140 --> 00:36:14,841
what is called
a matte foundation.
680
00:36:15,976 --> 00:36:20,447
It's a very stable,
huge slab of concrete, frankly,
681
00:36:20,547 --> 00:36:22,115
embedded in the earth.
682
00:36:22,816 --> 00:36:25,853
It is critical in the sense
that it spreads
683
00:36:25,953 --> 00:36:30,491
the weight of the building
over this big concrete platform.
684
00:36:31,058 --> 00:36:34,728
It doesn't concentrate
the weight in any singular are.
685
00:36:37,397 --> 00:36:40,333
[Jay] The tallest tower
will be 1,000 feet.
686
00:36:41,067 --> 00:36:44,138
Building its 16-foot-thick
matte foundations
687
00:36:44,238 --> 00:36:46,306
takes 15 months.
688
00:36:46,940 --> 00:36:51,412
By 2020, after a total
of 274,000 cubic yards
689
00:36:51,512 --> 00:36:53,146
of concrete have been poured,
690
00:36:53,246 --> 00:36:56,283
the groundworks for the
entire complex are complete.
691
00:36:57,451 --> 00:36:59,919
The next challenge
is to design and build
692
00:37:00,020 --> 00:37:02,289
the steel structure
for the towers.
693
00:37:03,123 --> 00:37:05,526
These also must be super strong.
694
00:37:06,393 --> 00:37:07,894
[Michael Lewis] The main thing
is structure is big.
695
00:37:07,994 --> 00:37:09,630
The columns are much bigger
than we're used to.
696
00:37:09,730 --> 00:37:11,398
The beams are much bigger
than we're used to.
697
00:37:11,498 --> 00:37:13,633
And, of course,
you have to brace a lot more.
698
00:37:15,002 --> 00:37:17,838
[Jay] In an earthquake zone,
strength needs to be balanced
699
00:37:17,938 --> 00:37:20,207
with flexibility
so that the building can move
700
00:37:20,307 --> 00:37:21,842
and absorb the impact
701
00:37:21,942 --> 00:37:24,344
without collapsing
under the strain.
702
00:37:25,312 --> 00:37:27,982
And because the effects
of an earthquake on a skyscraper
703
00:37:28,082 --> 00:37:30,117
are magnified the taller it is,
704
00:37:30,884 --> 00:37:33,386
the team has to use
every shake-resisting trick
705
00:37:33,486 --> 00:37:34,755
in the book.
706
00:37:35,589 --> 00:37:38,592
The towers will be fitted
with giant oil dampers,
707
00:37:38,692 --> 00:37:39,927
or shock absorbers,
708
00:37:40,027 --> 00:37:42,897
more than 300
in the tallest tower alone.
709
00:37:43,531 --> 00:37:46,466
But the seismic measures
don't stop there.
710
00:37:46,567 --> 00:37:51,204
[speaking Japanese]
711
00:37:52,206 --> 00:37:54,675
[Jay] They design
1,200 metal braces
712
00:37:54,742 --> 00:37:56,243
in the walls.
713
00:37:56,343 --> 00:37:59,313
Made from soft steel,
they effectively absorb energy
714
00:37:59,413 --> 00:38:01,281
during large quakes.
715
00:38:02,849 --> 00:38:05,619
And they'll add huge weights
at the top of each tower.
716
00:38:06,253 --> 00:38:08,254
These will move
in the opposite direction
717
00:38:08,355 --> 00:38:09,756
to the building
during an earthquake
718
00:38:09,857 --> 00:38:11,559
to counteract
the swaying motion.
719
00:38:12,092 --> 00:38:14,695
For most buildings, they only
usually have one or two
720
00:38:14,795 --> 00:38:18,665
of these technologies, but this
building has all of them.
721
00:38:19,299 --> 00:38:20,567
[Jay] With the tower safe,
722
00:38:20,634 --> 00:38:22,936
the team moves on
to making them green,
723
00:38:23,036 --> 00:38:28,775
including installing a very
unusual heat recovery system.
724
00:38:29,610 --> 00:38:34,848
[speaking Japanese]
725
00:38:39,553 --> 00:38:42,089
[Jay] Using the sewage to heat
the building in the winter
726
00:38:42,189 --> 00:38:44,391
will reduce the tower's
CO2 emissions
727
00:38:44,491 --> 00:38:47,027
by about 70 tons a year.
728
00:38:49,129 --> 00:38:50,864
As the towers near completion,
729
00:38:50,964 --> 00:38:53,300
the team faces
a fresh challenge.
730
00:38:53,800 --> 00:38:56,970
Realizing the vision
for a natural green wilderness
731
00:38:57,070 --> 00:38:58,605
in the heart of the city.
732
00:39:00,207 --> 00:39:01,375
Although the skyscrapers
733
00:39:01,509 --> 00:39:03,510
have freed up space
at ground level,
734
00:39:04,111 --> 00:39:05,880
this premium city real estate
735
00:39:05,980 --> 00:39:09,015
is also needed for
shops and restaurants.
736
00:39:12,419 --> 00:39:14,554
Figuring out how to squeeze in
enough greenery
737
00:39:14,654 --> 00:39:16,523
falls to Heatherwick Studio.
738
00:39:17,824 --> 00:39:20,260
The green area requirements
for this area
739
00:39:20,360 --> 00:39:22,363
in Tokyo are quite ambitious.
740
00:39:22,930 --> 00:39:25,565
It was clear that we wouldn't
just be able to have
741
00:39:25,699 --> 00:39:28,335
conventional buildings
next to a garden,
742
00:39:28,435 --> 00:39:30,504
that we would need
to integrate the two.
743
00:39:31,471 --> 00:39:34,374
[Jay] Luckily, Heatherwick's
previous projects include
744
00:39:34,508 --> 00:39:38,412
1,000 Trees in Shanghai
and Little Island in New York.
745
00:39:38,512 --> 00:39:42,516
So they know about imaginative
ways to green a city.
746
00:39:42,616 --> 00:39:44,351
We almost started
with a diagram of
747
00:39:44,451 --> 00:39:45,886
"What if it's just
a green valley?
748
00:39:46,020 --> 00:39:48,355
And in fact, our site sat
within a natural valley?"
749
00:39:48,789 --> 00:39:50,157
And we started to think, "Well,
750
00:39:50,257 --> 00:39:52,192
"could we just exaggerate
the valley in some way?
751
00:39:52,325 --> 00:39:54,527
Could we start
to lift up this landscape?"
752
00:39:56,397 --> 00:39:58,532
[Jay] They devise a world first.
753
00:39:58,999 --> 00:40:02,736
A giant pergola will stretch
like a net over the shops below
754
00:40:02,836 --> 00:40:04,839
and be covered in plants.
755
00:40:05,373 --> 00:40:07,541
The big question is
how to build it.
756
00:40:09,643 --> 00:40:11,411
The construction
of the pergola system has been
757
00:40:11,511 --> 00:40:13,880
probably the biggest challenge
on this project for us.
758
00:40:15,649 --> 00:40:18,052
The geometry itself
is obviously curved.
759
00:40:18,619 --> 00:40:20,988
It's curved in elevations,
but it's also curved in profile.
760
00:40:21,088 --> 00:40:23,390
Which means that you don't
just have a single curve,
761
00:40:23,524 --> 00:40:25,258
you have what we call
a double curve.
762
00:40:26,393 --> 00:40:28,362
[Jay] To create
the undulating double curves,
763
00:40:28,495 --> 00:40:30,898
Heatherwick works with
the architects and engineers
764
00:40:30,998 --> 00:40:34,634
to design a custom frame
built from bent pieces of steel.
765
00:40:36,636 --> 00:40:38,539
Before a more natural-looking
finish, they want to
766
00:40:38,639 --> 00:40:42,442
cover it in panels of
glass fiber reinforced concrete.
767
00:40:43,643 --> 00:40:45,312
This is a very
lightweight concrete,
768
00:40:45,413 --> 00:40:47,414
which means you can get
very thin panels
769
00:40:47,514 --> 00:40:48,882
and use a lot less concrete.
770
00:40:48,983 --> 00:40:51,018
It also is reinforced
with glass fiber,
771
00:40:51,118 --> 00:40:54,421
not steel, which makes
it lighter and easier to make.
772
00:40:57,157 --> 00:41:00,761
[Jay] These specialist panels
will be prefabricated offsite.
773
00:41:00,861 --> 00:41:02,829
and craned into position.
774
00:41:04,098 --> 00:41:07,368
The problem is they need
so much of this special material
775
00:41:07,468 --> 00:41:09,302
that Japan runs out.
776
00:41:11,371 --> 00:41:14,341
Production switches to China,
which means shipping them over.
777
00:41:15,142 --> 00:41:17,811
[Michael] Shipping panels
from one country to another,
778
00:41:17,911 --> 00:41:20,547
it's not just as easy
as finding a ship to do it.
779
00:41:21,448 --> 00:41:23,550
You have to look
at controlling the temperature
780
00:41:23,650 --> 00:41:25,119
of the concrete panels,
781
00:41:25,219 --> 00:41:27,387
controlling the moisture content
of the shipment vessel,
782
00:41:27,488 --> 00:41:31,191
because any change in the
moisture content, or too much
783
00:41:31,291 --> 00:41:33,660
of a change in temperature
could compromise the panel.
784
00:41:34,761 --> 00:41:36,630
[Jay] After a nervous wait,
785
00:41:36,764 --> 00:41:40,534
in 2020,
the panels arrive unscathed.
786
00:41:41,535 --> 00:41:43,737
Now comes the task of
assembling the intricate,
787
00:41:43,871 --> 00:41:46,273
curving, three-dimensional
jigsaw puzzle.
788
00:41:47,541 --> 00:41:49,576
Our biggest fear was
the coordination of those
789
00:41:49,676 --> 00:41:52,379
concrete panels with the
other components on the facades.
790
00:41:54,881 --> 00:41:57,717
[Jay] If this complex puzzle
doesn't go as planned,
791
00:41:57,818 --> 00:42:00,320
the pergola is
at risk of collapse.
792
00:42:01,621 --> 00:42:04,491
[Michael] So you have concrete
meeting aluminum curtain walls
793
00:42:04,591 --> 00:42:08,295
or concrete meeting the floor
where it meets stone paving.
794
00:42:09,329 --> 00:42:10,498
[Jay] To make matters worse,
795
00:42:10,598 --> 00:42:13,200
it's the middle
of the COVID-19 pandemic,
796
00:42:13,600 --> 00:42:15,836
and the architects
are stuck in London,
797
00:42:15,970 --> 00:42:17,638
unable to supervise in person.
798
00:42:18,205 --> 00:42:21,809
We've had some long calls.
Six or seven hour calls.
799
00:42:22,476 --> 00:42:24,477
It was very stressful,
that time.
800
00:42:25,179 --> 00:42:26,480
[Jay] Over the coming months,
801
00:42:26,613 --> 00:42:27,948
the team follows
things remotely,
802
00:42:28,048 --> 00:42:31,484
and watches as everything
falls into place.
803
00:42:34,454 --> 00:42:38,959
All that's left is to fill the
pergolas with the 320 varieties
804
00:42:39,059 --> 00:42:41,161
of plants and trees
that will breathe new life
805
00:42:41,261 --> 00:42:43,029
into this corner of Tokyo.
806
00:42:46,834 --> 00:42:48,702
In November 2023,
807
00:42:48,802 --> 00:42:51,405
after nearly
35 years of waiting,
808
00:42:51,805 --> 00:42:55,242
Azabudai Hills finally
welcomes back residents.
809
00:42:56,076 --> 00:42:59,479
And it's a triumph
on a huge scale.
810
00:43:00,247 --> 00:43:04,718
It's really unusual to feel such
a natural and wild environment
811
00:43:04,818 --> 00:43:06,220
in the center of a city,
812
00:43:06,353 --> 00:43:08,655
and I think that's been
the biggest surprise for me.
813
00:43:10,056 --> 00:43:12,426
[Jay] Over 90% of
the previous occupants
814
00:43:12,559 --> 00:43:15,762
have opted
to return here to live.
815
00:43:15,863 --> 00:43:20,000
[speaking Japanese]
816
00:43:24,604 --> 00:43:26,874
[Jay] They've done
the seemingly impossible,
817
00:43:27,007 --> 00:43:30,311
creating a lush green space
in the middle of Tokyo,
818
00:43:30,811 --> 00:43:33,613
and building
the tallest tower in Japan
819
00:43:33,713 --> 00:43:36,717
capable of withstanding
the most violent earthquake.
820
00:43:37,284 --> 00:43:39,386
There's individual elements
that I love and little moments
821
00:43:39,486 --> 00:43:42,022
where I like to kind
of go and spot and walk through.
822
00:43:42,689 --> 00:43:44,091
I guess the one thing
I'm really proud is
823
00:43:44,191 --> 00:43:45,759
how it all stitches together.
824
00:43:46,427 --> 00:43:49,196
[Jay] They have created
a model for urban living
825
00:43:49,296 --> 00:43:51,831
that could inspire a generation.
826
00:43:55,469 --> 00:43:59,706
For me, Azabudai Hills
is the pinnacle of my career.
827
00:44:07,247 --> 00:44:19,326
[music]
828
00:44:34,475 --> 00:44:36,977
♪ MTV ♪